Camera-based method for calibrating color displays

ABSTRACT

Provided herein are teachings directed to overcoming the problem of erroneous color reproduction on a color output device such as a color display. The teachings herein provide a method for correcting color image data input to a display device by displaying a target of color patches of known input values on the display device, and capturing an image of the target with a digital camera. This is followed by extracting camera signals from the image which corresponds to the color patches, and deriving a tone response calibration for the projector from the camera signals and the input values.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Cross reference is made to the following application file concurrently herewith: Attorney Docket No. A3438Q-US-NP entitled “A Camera-Based System For Calibrating Color Displays” to inventors, Raja Bala, Karen M. Braun, and Robert J. Rolleston, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated by reference herein. The appropriate components and processes of the above co-pending application may be selected for the invention of the present application in embodiments thereof.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The teachings presented herein relate generally to calibration of output devices. The teachings presented herein relate more specifically to calibration of color displays.

An ever increasing number of presentations today are given electronically using projection display technology. However, in such presentations, color images often do not reproduce correctly due to lack of projector calibration. In cases where the color imagery is intended to convey an important message, this problem can severely diminish the value of a presentation. Examples include technical, educational, and marketing presentations attempting to demonstrate color and image quality effects. Readability of text and other details are often compromised as well, and often the presenter is compelled to apologize, insisting, “It looked good on my computer screen.”

A standard approach for determining the projector's tone response is to make device-independent measurements of R, G, B ramps with a spectroradiometer, and then derive a tone response function that relates digital input value to luminance by fitting or interpolating the measured data. This type of approach can be expected to produce a highly accurate correction. However, making spectroradiometric measurements is a very expensive, time-consuming and tedious process. Indeed this is the reason why projection display calibration is typically avoided, and users simply live with and otherwise tolerate the erroneous result.

What is needed is a straight forward easy to perform calibration for projection displays which does not require expensive test equipment or special involved operator skills or training to accomplish.

Disclosed in embodiments herein is a method of correcting colors input to an output device comprising, rendering a target of color patches of known input values on the output device, and capturing an image of the target with a digital camera. This is followed by extracting camera signals from the captured image corresponding to the color patches, and deriving a tone response calibration for the output device from the camera signals and the known input values.

Further disclosed in embodiments herein is a method of color correction for a display device comprising, displaying a target of patches of known input values on the display device; and capturing an image of the target of patches with a digital camera. This is followed by calibrating the digital camera as based upon the captured image of the target patches; extracting calibrated camera signals from the captured image of the target of patches, the extracted calibrated camera signals corresponding to the patches in the target of patches; and deriving a tone response calibration for the display device from the extracted calibrated camera signals and the known input values.

Further disclosed in embodiments herein is a method of color correction for a display device comprising, displaying a visual graphical user interface pattern, determining an intermediate luminance point as based upon user input in reaction to the visual graphical user interface pattern, and displaying a ramp target of patches of known input values including the determined intermediate luminance point on the display device. This is followed by capturing an image of the ramp target of patches with a digital camera, and calibrating the digital camera as based upon the captured image of the ramp target patches and the determined intermediate luminance point. That is followed by extracting calibrated camera signals from the captured image of the ramp target of patches, the extracted calibrated camera signals corresponding to the patches in the ramp target of patches, and deriving a tone response calibration for the display device from the extracted calibrated camera signals and the known input values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system representation suitable for performing the teachings provided herein.

FIG. 2 depicts a simple flow chart for color calibration.

FIG. 3 shows a graph of luminance response for a given input signal into either a CRT or alternatively a projection LCD display.

FIG. 4 depicts one possible color calibration interface for user interaction.

FIG. 5 shows a normalized graph of luminance response for a given green input signal response for an on site camera versus the true camera versus sRGB.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary target embodiment suitable for performing the teachings provided herein

FIG. 7 shows a graph providing a comparison of calibration results.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A methodology is herein taught for calibrating an output device including a display, using a digital camera as a color measurement device. It is to be understood that the term “display” may include the cathode ray tube (CRT), desktop liquid crystal display (LCD), projection LCD, digital light projector (DLP), and other similar technologies. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the term “digital camera” may include a standard digital still camera, camera-phone, video camera with still image capture, web camera, and other similar technologies. To explain the teachings provided herein, embodiments using a projection display and digital still camera will be used as example devices. As shown in FIG. 1, a target of known RGB values 100 is projected on the screen 110 by projector 120, and captured with the digital camera 130. The collected camera signals 140 are then corrected in processor 150 to produce luminance signals, and the latter are used to calibrate the tone response of the projector 120. A number of techniques exist to correct the collected camera signals 140. One preferred embodiment performs an “on-site” camera 130 based correction from the said projected target 100. The advantages with this methodology include: 1) sufficiently accurate tone response correction which is entirely satisfactory in most applications; and, 2) the use of a common consumer digital camera 130, thus eliminating the need for costly and tedious measurement tasks.

Display devices 120 typically conform to an additive color mixing model. According to this model, the relationship between RGB signals driving the device 120, and XYZ tri-stimulus values produced by the display is as shown in FIG. 2. The first step to be performed (in one preferred embodiment by processor 150) is a tone response calibration 200, which linearizes each of the R, G, and B channels to luminance. In a second step 210, the linearized signals, R′, G′, B′ are related to XYZ tri-stimulus values 220 via a 3×3 characterization matrix, determined by the colors of the R, G, B phosphors and the display white point. For greatest accuracy, both the tone calibration and the 3×3 matrix should be derived for each display 120. However for many practical applications, entirely sufficient accuracy is achieved by deriving only the tone calibration, and using a fixed generic 3×3 characterization matrix such as the sRGB standard. Thus the teachings provided herein focus on a tone response calibration 200.

The tone response of a typical CRT is accurately modeled by a gamma-offset-gain (GOG) model. A common simplification is to assume offset=0, gain=1. This reduces the model to: R′=R^(γ) G′=G^(γ) B′=B^(γ)  (1) where R, G, B and R′, G′, B′ are normalized to the range 0-1, and the exponent γ is often referred to as “gamma”. The curve 300 in FIG. 3 is a plot of Equation (1) with γ=2.2.

Due to the predominance of CRT displays in the past, it has been common practice to prepare electronic RGB images for rendition to such devices. In recognition of this fact, the sRGB color space was developed to represent an average CRT display, and serves today as the main de-facto standard for electronic RGB imagery. Indeed many scanner and digital camera manufactures apply post-processing to the captured images to transform them approximately to sRGB. The CRT plot 300 in FIG. 3 is a close approximation of the sRGB tone response.

Digital projection displays 120 are commonly used for giving electronic presentations. Several technologies are available, of which liquid crystal displays (LCD) are perhaps the most common. Although LCDs conform to the same basic additive model shown in FIG. 2, their tone response characteristics can be markedly different from that of CRTs. The projection LCD curve 310 in FIG. 3 is the tone response of a typical portable LCD projector. The plot was derived from radiometric measurements of 11 neutral (R=G=B) patches projected on the screen under dark-room conditions. The difference between the tone response of the projection LCD and CRT is quite apparent. The consequence is that if an sRGB image, prepared for display on a CRT, is rendered directly to a projection LCD 120 (as is commonly done today), the reproduction is grossly incorrect. This level of image quality is clearly unacceptable in cases where the color reproduction is critical to the value of the presentation. Examples include technical, educational, and marketing presentations attempting to demonstrate subtle color and image quality effects.

A method is therefore needed to accurately calibrate the projector's tone response. This requires the following basic steps:

-   1) Establish the built-in projector settings (typically default) and     viewing environment (typically a dim or dark-lit room) -   2) Generate a color target of known device values. The target should     comprise ramps in gray (R=G=B) and/or the primary R, G, B axes. -   3) Project the target onto the screen and take device-independent     color measurements of the patches. -   4) Relate the device values to the device-independent values via a     tone response calibration function.     Several techniques exist to accomplish the above steps, as are     discussed below.

A standard approach for determining the projector's tone response is to make device-independent measurements of R, G, B ramps with a spectroradiometer, and then derive a tone response function that relates digital input value to luminance by fitting or interpolating the measured data [see for example: Y. Kwak, L. W. MacDonald, “Method For Characterising An LCD Projection Display”, Projection Displays VII, SPIE Proceedings 4294, pp. 110-118, 2001]. The authors J. Hardeberg, L. Seime, T. Skogstad, in their writing “Colorimetric Characterization Of Projection Displays Using A Digital Colorimetric Camera” augment the spectroradiometer with a calibrated digital camera to correct for spatial non-uniformities in the projected image. This approach is expected to produce a highly accurate correction. However, making spectroradiometric measurements is a very expensive, time-consuming and tedious process. Indeed this is the reason why projection display calibration is usually avoided, and users simply live with and otherwise tolerate the result.

An alternative to measurement-based approaches is visual calibration. An exemplary example of a display for visual calibration 400 applied to CRTs is shown in FIG. 4. For each of the R, G, and B primaries, a corresponding red (410), green (420), and blue (430), GUI panel with slider 440 is provided. The left field 450 of each panel (410, 420, & 430) contains a pattern of alternating lines of black in combination with the full-strength primary. Thus the average luminance of the left 450 field is 50% between that of black and full-strength primary, and is thereby a known constant (it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some other intermediate point other than 50% could be chosen). The user is asked to move the slider 440 to adjust the digital input provided to the right field 460 until the two fields (450 & 460) match visually in luminance. This task establishes one [x-y] pair on the display tone response curve. If one assumes the simplified CRT model in Equation (1) above, this information is sufficient to determine the gamma parameter, which in turn defines the entire tone response.

The visual task in FIG. 4 may be successful for CRT calibration. However, as noted earlier, projection displays often exhibit an “S-shaped” tone response rather than a power-law response. Therefore, an attempt to fit a power-law model to a projector response using the technique in FIG. 4 will produce an incorrect tone calibration. The aforementioned visual technique can be extended to estimate multiple points on the tone response curve. However, this necessarily involves repetitions of the visual tasks in FIG. 4, which can become tedious and error-prone.

Thus an exemplary method is proposed for projection display calibration that addresses the problems that occur with these techniques. The same 4 basic steps described above are still followed. However, a digital camera is used instead of a spectroradiometer to obtain the target measurements in Step 3. This methodology is distinct from the prior art and technique (as for example in J. Hardeberg, L. Seime, T. Skogstad, “Colorimetric Characterization Of Projection Displays Using A Digital Colorimetric Camera”) in that here the digital camera is the only measurement device used for calibrating the projector 120. Furthermore, the exemplary method does not require a sophisticated camera—a common consumer device will suffice.

-   Advantages with this approach are: -   i) consumer digital cameras abound today as an inexpensive commodity     item; -   ii) digital cameras are easy to use in comparison to spectral     measurement devices; -   iii) a digital camera can capture a fairly large spatial footprint,     thus allowing for measurement of a large number of patches, and/or     greater spatial averaging. -   However, Issues to address with this approach are: -   a) since device-independent measurements are needed, the camera     itself needs to be calibrated for the projected medium it is     capturing; -   b) the camera may drift over time, thus invalidating the data it     captures.

Digital camera calibration and characterization has engendered a large body of research literature. As mentioned earlier, manufacturers of consumer cameras often incorporate a built-in correction to produce images in a standard space (often sRGB). As a test to illustrate this, FIG. 5 compares the sRGB tone response (curve 500) with the tone response of the green channel from a Kodak LS443 digital camera (curve 510). The latter was obtained by displaying a gray ramp with the above mentioned LCD projector, and capturing both a digital camera image, and luminance measurements with a PhotoResearch SpectraScan PR705 spectroradiometer. Clearly, the camera tone response deviates noticeably from the sRGB assumption. Furthermore, the response is likely to vary with the particular camera model, camera settings, image capture conditions, and over time. While these factors may not be an issue for casual consumer needs, they may pose a problem in the application at hand, where the digital camera is used as a measurement device. Obtaining calibrated signals from a digital camera requires that the camera itself be calibrated. Many standard approaches exist for camera calibration. However these techniques require spectral or colorimetric measurements of a suitable target, thus making the camera-based approach no less expensive and skill intensive than the original measurement-based display calibration approach. It is therefore preferable to perform some form of “on-site” camera calibration using a projected target, and requiring no spectral or colorimetric measurement.

To this end, an exemplary technique is employed that uses the visual calibration technique described above to calibrate the camera tone response. This is based on the assumption that the camera response can be approximated by a representation akin to the GOG model for CRTs. Recall that the visual task in FIG. 4 produces one calibrated point; i.e. we know the input digital value to the projector that produces the 50% luminance measurement. This point can be included in the projected target and used to calibrate the camera.

To illustrate this, consider an exemplary target 100 shown in FIG. 6. This embodiment of the target comprises a ramp of 15 neutral (R=G=B) patches from white to black. One of the patches is the known 50% luminance point obtained from a visual calibration 400 (far right patch 460 in all rows). This patch is duplicated along the entire middle row, and the far-right column, to optionally correct for spatial non-uniformity in the displayed image in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. This target 100 is displayed with the projector 120, captured with the digital camera 130, and the camera RGB values 140 are retrieved.

Correction for spatial non-uniformity is an optional step that can be critical for certain displays and cameras. The correction should ideally be a spatial function applied to the captured camera image. However, this approach cannot be implemented with standard color management architectures such as established by the International Color Consortium. A simpler alternative is to pre-correct the camera signals to approximate the effect of displaying each patch at a single chosen reference location. This allows calibration to be derived from well-behaved data, although it is strictly valid only at the reference location. One exemplary method of spatial nonuniformity correction applied to a camera signal C(i,j) corresponding to the patch located at row i and column j in the target is given by: C′(i,j)=C(i,j)*S ₁(j)*S ₂(i)  (2) where C′(i,j) is the camera signal corrected for spatial nonuniformity, and S₁ and S₂ are spatial correction factors in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. S₁ is derived from camera signals obtained from the constant-input row of patches in the target. Similarly, S₂ is derived from camera signals obtained from the constant-input column of patches in the target. One example of a horizontal correction factor is given by: S ₁(j)=C(i _(const) , j _(ref))/C(i _(const) , j)  (3) where i_(const) refers to the index of the constant-input row, and j_(ref) is the column index for the reference location. In the example target of FIG. 6, the constant-input row is the second row, therefore i_(const)=2. If the reference patch is chosen to be near the center of the target, for example the patch in the second row and fourth column, then j_(ref)=4. An analogous formulation applies for S₂ in the vertical direction. The aforementioned spatial non-uniformity correction can be applied to the camera signals before or after camera calibration is applied. This operation is described next.

Three points from the captured target are used to calibrate the camera 130: namely white, black, and the 50% luminance point. In addition, perfect black (i.e. 0 luminance) is used to pin the one endpoint of the camera 130 response. Table 1 summarizes the data used to calibrate the camera 130 response. Luminance is normalized to that of projector white, so that by definition, Y_(w)=1. The only unknown parameter is the luminance of the projector black point, Y_(b). This flare factor is affected by the characteristics of the projector 120, screen 110, and the ambient room illumination. We assume 2% flare (i.e. Y_(b)=0.02) based on empirical a priori radiometric measurements from different projectors in a dim surround. (This parameter can be tuned based on additional knowledge of the projector and viewing environment.) TABLE 1 Data used to calibrate the tone response of the digital camera Patch Luminance Captured camera signal Projector white Y_(w) = 1 R₁, G₁, B₁ Projector black Y_(b) R₂, G₂, B₂ Mid-gray (Y_(w) + Y_(b))/2 = R₃, G₃, B₃ (1 + Y_(b))/2 Perfect black 0 0, 0, 0

The four points in Table 1 can then be used to determine the relationship between camera RGB 140 and luminance. One approach is to fit a GOG model to the data. An empirical alternative is to simply interpolate the four points. Due to its simplicity, we adopted the latter approach with cubic spline interpolation. The dashed line 520 in FIG. 5 shows the camera 130 tone response derived from this approach. Comparing this to the true camera response (black curve), we note that the technique is very accurate.

Once the camera 130 is calibrated, it is effectively turned into a luminance measurement device. Thus the luminance of all 15 patches in the projected exemplary gray ramp target 100 depicted in FIG. 5 can be derived. These luminance values and the corresponding digital values driving the projector 120 are then used to generate a tone response calibration 160 for the projector using straightforward interpolation techniques. In our implementation a cubic spline was used to interpolate among the 15 points from the target.

The benefit of this approach is that since the same target 100 is used to calibrate both the camera 130 and the projector 120, the dependence of the camera 130 response on capture conditions (i.e. projection media, image content, camera settings, etc.) is effectively calibrated out. The exemplary correction technique is thus very robust to projection and capture conditions.

FIG. 7 is a plot of the luminance response along the neutral (R=G=B) axis for one sample projector 120 as calibrated with different techniques. For reference, an identity transform is included as the thin black line 730, and represents perfect calibration. The visual calibration technique 700 is clearly inadequate as explained above. Camera-based calibration 710, wherein the camera is simply assumed to be an sRGB device, is also inadequate as it does not adequately linearize the projector. (The invalidity of the sRGB assumption will vary across different cameras) Finally, we note that the on-site camera calibration 720 achieves exemplary performance in terms of linearizing the projector.

To recapitulate, an exemplary methodology as taught herein provides an integrated calibration tool that accomplishes the following process:

-   1. The calibration tool displays a visual GUI pattern 400 (e.g.     FIG. 4) on the screen 110. -   2. The user performs the required visual tasks to establish the 50%     luminance point. -   3. The calibration tool displays a ramp target 100 (e.g. FIG. 6) on     the screen. The 50% point from step 2 is included in this target     100. -   4. The user captures an image of this target 100 as projected onto     screen 110 with a digital camera 130, and downloads that captured     image data 140 to the software calibration tool resident on     processor 150. -   5. The software calibration tool resident on processor 150: a)     extracts RGB patch values from the camera image 140; b) calibrates     the camera response with selected patch values; c) converts the     camera responses to luminance values using the camera calibration;     and d) uses the digital values driving the projector and the     luminance values from step c) for all patches to create a tone     response correction (TRC) 160 for the projector 120. -   6. The TRC 160 is exported for subsequent correction of images and     documents to projector 120.     This calibration tool can be built with a Java GUI (Graphical User     Interface) and underlying software functionality. The software     calibration tool may either reside on the host computer driving the     projector 150 or on a remote server. Step 6 as presented above can     be accomplished by building an ICC profile for the projection     display 120, which can then be invoked by the operating system or     other applications such as page description language software, e.g.     Adobe® Acrobat® to create a PDF file. Alternatively, if the video     LUTs (Look Up Tables) driving the projection display 120 are     accessible, the projector 120 may be directly corrected. In this     case, the projector 120 could be turned into an “sRGB emulator”,     thus properly reproducing most existing color imagery.

As will be clear to one skilled in the art, the calibration tool may be provided as a software platform, a software platform operating on a hardware platform or even provided as hardwired logic. The calibration tool may be resident on an outboard personal computer or provided inboard of the projector. In the latter case the digital camera would necessarily connect directly to the projector for the above calibration methodology to be performed.

The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others. 

1. A method of correcting colors input to an output device, comprising: rendering a target of patches of known input values on the output device; capturing an image of the target of patches with a digital camera; extracting camera signals from the captured image of the target of patches, the extracted camera signals corresponding to the patches in the target of patches; and deriving a tone response calibration for the output device from the extracted camera signals and the known input values.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device is a projection display.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device is a LCD type display.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one patch in the target of patches is duplicated at multiple spatial locations in the target of patches, and the extracted camera signals corresponding to the duplicated patches are used to correct for spatial non-uniformity.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted camera signals are RGB values.
 6. A method of color correction for a display device, comprising: displaying a target of patches of known input values on the display device; capturing an image of the target of patches with a digital camera; calibrating the digital camera as based upon the captured image of the target patches; extracting calibrated camera signals from the captured image of the target of patches, the extracted calibrated camera signals corresponding to the patches in the target of patches; and deriving a tone response calibration for the display device from the extracted calibrated camera signals and the known input values.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the display device is a projection display.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the display device is a LCD type display.
 9. The method of claim 6 wherein at least one patch in the target of patches is duplicated at multiple spatial locations in the target of patches, and the extracted camera signals corresponding to the duplicated patches are used to correct for spatial non-uniformity.
 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the calibrated extracted camera signals include a luminance signal.
 11. A method of color correction for a display device, comprising: displaying a visual graphical user interface pattern; determining an intermediate luminance point as based upon user input in reaction to the visual graphical user interface pattern; displaying a ramp target of patches of known input values including the determined intermediate luminance point on the display device; capturing an image of the ramp target of patches with a digital camera; calibrating the digital camera as based upon the captured image of the ramp target patches and the determined intermediate luminance point; extracting calibrated camera signals from the captured image of the ramp target of patches, the extracted calibrated camera signals corresponding to the patches in the ramp target of patches; and deriving a tone response calibration for the display device from the extracted calibrated camera signals and the known input values.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the intermediate luminance point is halfway between the luminances produced by the minimum and maximum input values to the display device.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the display device is a projection display.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the display device is a LCD type display.
 15. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one patch in the ramp target is duplicated at multiple spatial locations on the ramp target, and the extracted camera signals corresponding to the duplicated patches are used to correct for spatial non-uniformity within the captured image of the ramp target.
 16. The method of claim 11 wherein deriving a tone response calibration for the display device includes fitting the relationship between the known input values to the display device and the extracted calibrated camera signals with a spline function.
 17. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of extracting calibrated camera signals includes computing luminance from RGB values extracted from the captured image of the ramp target of patches.
 18. The method of claim 11 wherein the tone response correction is exported to the display device.
 19. The method of claim 11 wherein the tone response correction is exported to a host computer driving the display device.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the tone response correction exported to the host computer is invoked by an application.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the application is page description language software. 